A week ago Friday I saw a listing on Petfinder for a dog in the local shelter who really caught my eye. Although Steve and I just cannot take on any more dogs ourselves currently, I felt I somehow had to save her from euthanasia. So I contacted the Franklin County Humane Society who in turn learned that Mitchell Mill Animal Rescue had retrieved this precious pup from the shelter. Steve and I agreed to help sponsor her since we couldn't realistically adopt her ourselves. We went out to meet her last Tuesday shortly after she was spayed - so she was rather sleepy and sedate that day. Today we went to see her again and take her some toys, and saw the Real Oodles! She is most likely a terrier/lab mix, is about 25 pounds currently and they think she is a young adult - I would guess maybe a year old? - so I doubt she is going to be much over 40 pounds at the most. She is extremely high energy but also extremely loving and friendly, and good with other dogs and cats. She is playful and very intelligent, just Oodles of fun! My hope is that she will soon find a loving, caring forever home with people who can appreciate her charming and energetic personality. She is going to make some lucky family a wonderful addition. Adoption information on Oodles is available at (919) 266-8177.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Over the past eight years, Spyder's storm/noise phobia has gradually been escalating, so I was delighted when Susan King of Companion Chi agreed to enroll him in a Quantum Healing trial to hopefully address this concern. At Susan's suggestion, I also started Spyder on some flower essences from Green Hope Farm whose employees were extremely helpful in advising me on which essences were recommended for Spyder based on his fears and reactions to loud noises. Susan has now been working with us for a couple of months and I'm delighted to report that Spyder has shown an incredibly dramatic change. He no longer gets hysterical and inconsolable with storms and other loud noises, and even slept through the bulk of our latest big thunderstorm last evening! I'm not sure whether it's the essences or Companion Chi's Quantum Healing techniques or a combination of both - although my best guess would be the combination - which has given Spyder such amazing results. All I know for sure is that I am beyond happy to see my baby getting such tremendous relief from his anxiety. I plan to continue him on the flower essences, as he seems to derive much benefit from them, even "asking" for them in times of stress. Additionally, Susan has indicated that Spyder appears to be capable now of instituting calming techniques for noise phobia control on his own, so no longer needs her assistance in this area. However, she is going to work with us further on addressing some of his additional anxieties which, according to her, most likely originated from his youth as a stray and then being confined at the animal shelter for so long prior to his adoption into our home - and our hearts. I'm deeply grateful to Green Hope Farm and Companion Chi for their kind assistance in helping us with Spyder's anxieties and he and I highly recommend them both to anyone seeking to improve the quality of life for themselves and their pets.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

This past weekend was all about tennis, as our local association, WFATA, held its Grand Opening to celebrate the addition of four brand-new courts to go along with the existing four, as well as stadium quality lighting. We had a huge celebration which began Friday night with the ribbon cutting for the new courts; various tennis events all day long Saturday including games and drills for kids and adults, video stroke analysis, racket demos courtesy of Todd from Omega Sports who was extremely knowledgeable and helpful; and culminating in a Mini-Tournament open to all interested on Sunday afternoon. It was a great weekend of tennis where we reconnected with some old friends and met many new ones, and the new tennis center is really quite beautiful. We're very excited about all the programs for both kids and adults becoming available this summer and the opportunity to play at such a lovely facility so close by!

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Yeah, I know, I know - I keep saying I'm not going to buy another bike and then I go and do it anyway. Well, yesterday was no exception. Honestly, we were just "stopping by" the bike shop to say hello and maybe look around for something for Steve. After all, it was his birthday Thursday. And yet, here I am out riding my brand new Road Bike this afternoon! I have to say, though, for my first "real" road ride in probably more than a year, this bike actually made it fun for me again, which is no small feat, considering how difficult cycling has been since the surgery.

The ride of the Lemond Versailles is very smooth and the bike has a solid, secure feel, while still being plenty snappy and easy handling. It carves the turns nicely for me and overall is just plain fun! Zoe and Andy were pretty nonplussed about the whole thing, but Spyder really seemed psyched about the new addition!

Oh and by the way, Steve's new Trek Madone should be here within the next couple of weeks...